Shiny demos can be deceiving. Many manufacturers have learned the hard way that the wrong automation or computer vision provider can leave them buried in data demands, false rejects, or worse — with no support once the system is live.
Here is a simple checklist of five questions to ask before making your decision.
1. How Do You Handle Limited Data?
Some providers will expect you to collect tens of thousands of defect images before their system works reliably. That is months of capturing, labeling, and retraining.
A strong provider will show how they overcome data scarcity — for example, by using synthetic data to generate variations without endless labeling.
2. Can Your System Adapt to Real World Variability?
Products are rarely perfect clones. Surfaces can be noisy, glare can distort images, and tolerances can change over time.
Ask your provider how their system copes when reality is messy. Do they have strategies that prevent false rejects when products are not uniform?
3. How Do You Define What Counts as a Defect?
Plants often struggle with inconsistent standards. A bubble of 0.5 mm might pass for one team and fail for another.
Does the provider have a way to formalize these rules and preserve them so they are applied consistently across shifts and systems?
4. What Happens After Installation?
One of the most common complaints is vendors that disappear once the system is installed.
Ask about long term support. Will they help retrain models when products change? Do they offer partnership and collaboration, or just hand over the keys and leave?
5. How Will You Help Us Grow?
The best providers do not just deliver a product, they become partners. Look for signs that they are committed to your long term success. Do they have a roadmap for scaling to new lines, new products, and new challenges?
At Zetamotion, we built the Spectron platform around this partnership model — capturing QC expertise, adapting to variation, and working with customers as systems evolve.
Closing Thought
Before you sign a contract, run through these five questions. The answers will tell you whether you are getting a vendor or a partner. And in inspection, partnership is what makes the difference between a flashy demo and a system that scales.
